These golden brown hard-shelled worms are the larvae of click beetles, and are found throughout the United States. They live in the soil where they feed on stems, roots, seeds, and tubers of a wide variety of plants, including corn, potatoes, beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes. They are seldom a serious problem, but they are most likely to appear in large numbers in garden soil that was recently covered by sod.
Prevention and ControlCultivation and crop rotation are usually all it takes to keep populations low. You can test your soil for the presence of wireworms by spearing pieces of potato on sticks and burying them 2 to 4 inches deep. Dig up the pieces after a week and inspect for wireworms feeding inside. If wireworm populations are very high, use beneficial nematodes to reduce their numbers.
Photography by Frank Peairs, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org
Victory Seed Company has all the seeds you want for your best garden in 2024.
For 25 years, the family-owned Victory Seed Company has provided the highest quality vegetable, herb and flower seeds to families across the country. We are passionate about providing you the best seeds available that give excellent germination, robust plants, and the harvest you want. With a catalog of over a thousand varieties, we have everything, and our prices are the kinds that we'd want to pay. We have hundreds of yesterday's heirloom vegetables, as well as today's award winning hybrid selections. Get to know us by visiting our website and browsing through our online vegetable seed catalog.
